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Mithraleenean Empire
The Mithraleenean Empire, also known as The Empire of Mithraleen and The Empire of Mithraleeneans was an empire that was founded in Mithraleen by Empress Bekar. It controlled land in Esidon, Afrik and Mesicarid. It was the largest, richest and most populous empire ever, surpassing even the Valiän Empire. It encompassed many races, from the ael'ùvah of Gil-Navarié to the menagi of the Havessé Islands. The capital city of the empire was Crusada. The sub-capitals were Palmu, Al-Bashir and Gil-Navarié. These cities were in charge of specific regions. For example, Palmu was the head city of eastern Esidon, while Gil-Navarié was the prime city in the Elven Isles. Al-Bashir had power over the continent of Afrik. The empire was the result of the evolution of a culture known as the Crusadaeans, who inhabited central Mithraleen, specifically the region of Crusadaea, after which they were named. The Crusadaeans evolved into the empire after a long period of violent turmoil between the other civilisations of Mithraleen, the Dons and the Carthians. The Crusadaeans were embroiled in a war with these two cultures and came close to being defeated, however, the timely arrival of soldiers from northern Afrik, new allies of the Crusadaeans, broke the First Siege of Crusada. On the capture of Carthinhex from the Carthians, in 3 FE, the Mithraleenean Empire was declared to be formed, though many historians state that it had already been existence for a few years. History Origin and Formation Before the Empire The Mithraleenean Empire represented the evolution of a culture of erius known as the Crusadaeans. The Crusadaeans were amongst the oldest civilisations in the world and were regarded by many as being the first culture of the erius. Their traditional home, central Mithraleen, was where the erius originally came from. The first empress, Empress Bekar I, was not the first one to express desires to form an empire. The aspiration of such an empire, ruled by the Crusadaeans, began with the grandfather of the empress, King Canabrodius IV. He began the task of empire-building by strengthening the borders of Crusadaea as well as pacifying the turbulent region east and west of the River Traconia. He founded many forts, especially in these regions, dubbed as priority sectors ''by the king. He also improved the roads of his kingdom, the ones that the empire would become famous for throughout the world. His son, King Tactiturn II, worked to further the power of his kingdom. He advanced into territory that was traditionally owned by the Dons and the Carthians, angering both kingdoms. His actions would help to encourage hostilities between the three cultures, setting in motion a chain of events that would lead to the formation of the Mithraleenean Empire at the hands of his daughter, Empress Bekar I. The War with Carthia On ascending to the throne, Bekar, at this point only a queen, was faced with a large war involving all of the factions of Mithraleen. In 1 FE, the year she became queen, Bekar had already witnessed a Donnish invasion of Crusadaea and had seen the lands west of the River Traconia fall into the hands of the Carthians. The queen was forced to reply with violence and sent her armies to repel the Dons and also to retake the lands conquered by the Kingdom of Carthia. The Carthians had sent a large force over the river, heading towards Crusada. A force, led by Lord Derenius, met the Carthian force at Crux. The Battle of Crux began. The two forces were even in terms of number, however, the Crusadaeans had superior cavalry. The Carthian cavalry was lightly-armoured and fast, however, the Crusadaean cavalry could easily run down the Carthian infantry. The Carthians were eventually defeated. A back-up force, sent by the Carthian king, Chieftain Bréanainn, met the tired Crusadaean force at Carumbrae. They defeated the Crusadaeans at the First Battle of Carumbrae. The beaten Crusadaeans fled and met-up with the support column inbound from Crusada. The Second Battle of Carumbrae results in a Crusadaean victory. The victory was so great that the Carthians were scattered and fled into the hills near Carumbrae. This victory allowed the Crusadaeans to advance towards Carthia. The Crusadaeans set up many forts along the River Traconia. On such fort was Fort Traconia, situated on one of the mouths of the river. On the sixteenth of Aproch, a force of Carthians approached the fort, which was still under construction. The Battle of Fort Traconia took place on the nineteenth of that month. Captain Viton, the commander of the fort, was slain and his successor, Captain Markus, was injured by a Carthian arrow. Despite this, the battle is a victory for the Crusadaeans and the Carthians are forced to retreat. Captain Crassius arrived in Fort Traconia with a relief force and then continued the Crusadaean advance into Carthia, which coincided with a famine in Carthia, weakening the Carthian army and its morale. At the same time, there were diplomatic talks between the Crusadaeans and the Kingdom of Donland. The recently-married Empress Bekar met with Donnish diplomats. The Dons demanded compensation for the deaths caused by the wars between the two nations and demanded that the eastern lands of the Crusadaeans belong to them. The empress refused, knowing that if she accepted she would be viewed as weak and would have an uprising on her hands. The Two-Front War Captain Cadlack was sent by the Dons with a large army. He was to march to Crusada and force the empress to submit to his king's demands. He was given over four thousand troops, which stretched the empire the an almost-unbearable limit. Despite having a large military, the Crusadaeans had been weakened by past wars and the fact that a third of their army was fighting in Carthia. This left only a few thousand soldiers to defend the cities and repel the Donnish invasion. In desperation, Empress Bekar sent diplomats to Ahjj-dij in northern Afrik, in hopes of securing an alliance and military support. While this was happening, a large Carthian army met Captain Crassius' force in central Carthia. The battle that was fought became known as the Battle of Carthia. Both sides took heavy loses. The Carthian army was crushed but the Crusdaeans were left in such a state that the victory could only be classed as a ''pyrric victory. The battle left the Crusadaeans unable to continue their advance into Carthia and they pulled back to Fort Traconia. This bought the Carthians time to recover. When the soldiers arrived back in Fort Traconia, they were attacked by the Carthians. The Crusadaeans were defeated by the Carthians and any survivors were taken prisoner. The fall of Fort Traconia meant that Crusada was undefended from the west. On the eastern front, the news for the Crusadaeans was better. An army under Captain Secundius, numbering only one thousand strong, ambushed the Donnish army when it was marching through the town of Miyra. The Donnish army was taken by surprise and surrounded. The victory was so great that Secundius was knighted by the empress and given an estate for defeating the Donnish army. The victory, however, could have caused the Crusadaeans to be defeated as the Dons entered an alliance with the Carthians following the defeat. A second army was prepared by the Dons and Captain Huán of Hrán rallied his forces at the ruins of Fort Traconia. The Donnish force marched into Crux Forest and were spotted by Crusadaean scouts, however, the captains and lord of Crusadaea were given the orders not to engage. Many lords were opposed to this idea but didn't disobey orders and allowed the Dons to continue. At this time, Empress Bekar gave birth to a son and called him Alûn. In Augustas of that year, the diplomats arrived in Ahjj-dij and requested assistance. The sultan (taken from the Ahjj-dij word sūlt, meaning silver, and'' 'n'', the suffix for a ruler) agreed to help and sent Caliph Sijūk-āhn and a significant fleet. In return for his assistance, the sultan received the area of Narthos Nautinius (known as Dwidoria to the natives). Caliph was taken from cālic, meaning knowing, and iphās, meaning loyal. Caliph was a title of reverence and meant all-knowing and all-loyal and was a title given to a sultan's best men. Captain Huán began his assault on Crusadaean lands and conquered the area that once belonged to the Carthians. He expelled many Crusadaean citizens and executed those who opposed him. In the east, Captain Mariton attacked the Dons in Crux Forest. Despite the ambush, his forces began to take heavy losses, however, defeat was averted when the other captains and lords came to assist and crushed the Donnish army. The Crusadaeans allowed a second, undetected Donnish army to slip through their defensive line because of this and it was allowed to advance on Crusada. Captain Mariton was recovered by Captain Markus' battalion and they marched to meet the Donnish army. Although they succeeded in delaying the siege, Captain Mariton was slain and Captain Markus was made to retreat to Crux. Captain Muril, who commanded a garrison on Celambria Hill, was forced to abandon his position to the Carthians and he pulled his force back to the capital, to bolster its defences. His forces managed to get inside the city before the Dons could besiege it. Later, Captain Huán arrived and helped the Dons with their siege. Lord Narkos won a decisive battle at Crux and cut off the Donnish supply line. It also allowed Captain Markus and his new battalion to advance on the Carthian supply line and cut off support to the besieging army altogether. He was unable to achieve this goal, however, and was slain at Celambria Hill. Supplies continued to get to the Carthians and the Dons, allowing the siege to continue. Two months after the beginning of the siege, catapults arrived at the Carthian camp and they began to construct them. The first rocks were loosed three days later and killed over one hundred Crusadaeans. The caliph and his forces arrived in Dwidoria. After setting up a functioning government, he began his hasty advance to Crusada, desperate to stop the city from falling into Carthian and Donnish hands. In mid-Novevro, the caliph's force arrived and broke the siege. The Carthian forced managed to escape but Huán was slain by Captain Muril and Huán's son, Captain Drestoć, is captured. The Dons fled to Crux Forest where they were intercepted by Lord Narkos and his army and defeated at the Second Battle of Crux Forest. To cement the alliance between the caliph and the empire, Lady Junia, the sister of the empress, was wedded to the caliph. As was the Ahjj-dij custom, they consummated their marriage a year after taking their vows. Peace with Carthia and Alliance with the Khârg Lord Narkos began the new year with a conquest. He retook the lands lost to the Carthians and brought them back under imperial control. He advanced over the River Traconia and was met with minimal resistance. The news of his presence scared the Carthians and they agreed to peace. Captain Drestoć was released and returned to Carthinhex. Meanwhile, the Dons continued their war with the Crusadaeans, but were unable to launch an attack on them, weakened by the failed siege of Crusada. Lord Narkos met up with Lord Cathus and they began their assault on the Dons. Lord Narkos besieged Lumidium and captured it and Lord Cathus attacked the town of Dorodium. Reinforcements were sent from Vitae but were defeated. Lord Narkos destroyed the remaining Donnish fortifications and cut off all supply lines to any remaining pockets of resistance. Captain seLuímć marched his army to Lumidium and defeated Lord Narkos, retaking the city. Lord Narkos survived and retreated. Lord Narkos regroups with Lord Cathus and, together, they capture Dorodium. King Camoídulum, the Donnish king, was assassinated by a Crusadaean assassin. His death crushed the morale of the Dons and his son, Većonith seVićaík, became the ruler. He was very weak as a ruler and his own nobles plotted his downfall. There was a rebellion within the Kingdom of Donland and Empress Bekar contacted the rebels and supported them. Lord Cećaík was announced as their leader. Lord Narkos met with the rebel leader and united against the Dons. The Second Siege of Lumidium commenced and Captain seLuímć was slain. Empress Bekar gave the city to the rebels as a sign of goodwill. Despite this gesture, many of the rebellious nobles disliked that they were working with the Crusadaeans. They ambushed Lord Narkos and his bodyguards but he managed to flee. The traitors were discovered and executed for their crimes. Their families were also punished. King Dworog of Khâzadûru sent diplomats to Crusada to make an alliance. The appearance of the khârg shocked many within Crusada as they had never seen another race before. An alliance was made and both Crusadaean and dwarven troops, under the command of Warmaster Grogûn, besieged the city of Garellus. The city fell swiftly to them and the city was offered to the khârg, as a base to support further military activity. Encouraged by these successes, Lord Narkos and a large army marched to Vitae, which they besieged. Despite the number of soldiers, the siege failed in less than a month and Lord Narkos returned to Lumidium, in time to see triremes built at the ports. He press-ganged many citizens into become soldiers in the navy and, with the Empress' blessing, he sailed to Myth. On the same day that Narkos left for the island, Empress Bekar gave birth to a Princess Bella. Lord Narkos' campaign in Myth was a success and he captured the only town there. The only casualties were five soldiers that had died of liver poisoning following their victory feast. Using the power gained by the peace treaty, the empress forced the Carthians into giving up lands south of the River Traconia. Some lords are sent to reinforce these new territories and construct forts. Some khârgi soldiers marched towards Carthia, intent on adding new lands to their kingdom. Continuing the war against the Dons, Lord Cathus besieged and conquered the city of Nirocidium. Nirocidium was the last Donnish stronghold in Mithraleen. Its fall into Crusadaean hands allowed the Crusadaeans to gain land a few miles from the capital of Vitae. An uneasy ceasefire was signed out of desperation a few months later and a semblance of peace was restored, although, the khârg continued to attack the Dons without Crusadaean approval. The End of the Carthians Angered by the khârgi advances into their territory, the Carthians declared war on both King Dworog and the Crusadaeans. This resumed hostilities between the two nations and set in motion a line of events that would lead to the end of the Carthians and the official formation of the Mithraleenean Empire. In response to the declaration of war, Captain Drestoć led his forces towards Fort Traconia, however, he was ambushed by Lord Camulius and slain. Lord Camulius pushed his forces southwards and besieged the city of Carthiad, an important economic centre to the Carthians. The siege was a success and Camulius was put in charge of the city. The khârgi army arrived in Carthia at this time and began to raid Carthian towns. This lured many Carthian captains out of their towns and slowly weakened the Carthian military. The khârg were later recalled to Khâzadûru and the Carthians mustered a force in Carthinhex to prepare to retake Carthiad. On learning of the news to leave the city essentially undefended from Crusadaean attack, riots took place in Carthinhex and the army was sent back to restore order. The rioters are punished harshly. Lord Camulius is joined by Lord Julius and Lord Camorius. Their armies prepare to march on Carthinhex. At around this time, King Dworog went to meet with the caliph of Dwidoria to discuss an alliance. At first, the talks went well and both took a liking to each other, however, relations went sour and the king was dispelled from the court by the caliph. Insulted, he returned to Khâzadûru and assembled an army. He marched through Crusadaean lands to get to Dwidoria. The Crusadaeans let them pass and did nothing to stop their invasion of Dwidoria, which would eventually lead to tense relations between Dwidoria and the Mithraleenean Empire. A great winter brought the Crusadaean operations in Carthia to a standstill. The Crusadaeans amassed in the one area and constructed a large fortress less than fifty miles from Carthinhex. Fort Carth is completed within a few months and becomes the largest fort in Mithraleen of its time. A Carthian captain led an assault on the fortress but had to abandon the attack when many of his soldiers perished in the cold. A plague began in Crusada during the winter. Thousands caught it and hundreds died from the disease. Despite having no involvement with the disease, the khârg were blamed for it and many dwarves living in Crusada were lynched and slain. The plague caused the death of Lord Cathus. The tension eventually inspired the empress to declare war on King Dworog. In a surprise attack, Garellus was besieged and dwarven soldiers in Dwidoria were attacked from behind by the Crusadaeans. As soon as the winter cleared, Carthinhex was besieged by one of the largest forces ever assembled by the Crusadaeans until this point. The defenders slew Lord Camulius, however, they were defeated and the ruler of Carthia was forced to give up sovereignty to Empress Bekar. The Crusadaeans officially declared themselves members of the Mithraleenean Empire on the tenth of Februs. First Empire of Mithraleen (3 FE - 1301 FE) War with the Khârg and the Dwidorians Following the plague, Empress Bekar expelled all khârg from Crusadaea and declared war on King Dworog. She sent an army from northern Crusadaea to attack the khârgi force that was laying waste to Dwidorian lands. This attack coincided with the besieging of Gallerus. Second Empire of Mithraleen (1 SE - 1237 SE) Third Empire of Mithraleen (1 TE - 591 TE) Fourth Empire of Mithraleen (1 FO.E - 351 FO.E) Fifth Empire of Mithraleen (1 FI.E - 129 FI.E) Destruction Geography Politics Economy Society and Culture Military Army Imperial Legions The Mithraleenean Empire is, perhaps, most famous for its legions. The legions, in their heavy armour and carrying their signature gladiuses and shields, are the face of the empire to many. The legions have been part of the empire since its inception. They were founded in 8 FE, by order of Empress Bekar I. The empire had been plagued with bandits and unrest and the empress wanted a strong army that was loyal to her and not to her lords. The legions succeeded in cutting down the amount of bandits within imperial territories and also reduced the powers that the nobles of the empire had. The legions were commanded by a general. In times when the empire was fighting many wars in the same period, there could be as many as five generals, one for each war. Under the generals were the legates. The legates directly controlled each legion. They were veterans of war. The legates were expected to reach the rank of general once the current general was killed or stepped-down. As a result, there was a fierce competition between many legates. It was not uncommon for legates to allow fellow legions to be destroyed by delaying their own force from arriving just so that their competition was killed. Under the legates were tribunes and centurions. Tribunes were not part of the legion, however, they did command legionaries. Tribunes were commonly placed in forts and castles and commanded roughly four hundred men. Some tribunes controlled the garrisons of cities. The centurions were in control of the centuries that made up the legion. The centurions were in command of their individual legionaries but reported to the legate for orders. The centurions had vice-centurions known as optios. Optios had less power than the centurions that were above them but could still hand out orders and punishments to the legionaries. Even further down than optios were the decanuses and the decurions. The decurions were horsemen that served as scouts or as cavalry. They were in command of thirty men each. Each decurion had to deputies. Decanuses were the next rank under optio. They were the leaders of the small squads that the legions were divided into. The next rank was the rank of legionary. The legionaries formed the backbone of the legions. They were expected to fight and die for the legion. Some legionaries, such as blacksmiths and carpenters, had a second trade and were thus more senior than other legionaries. The lowest rank in the legion was the rank of servant. In the past, the legions used slaves to carry the supplies needed by the legionaries, however, when slavery was abolished by the empire, the legions hired paid servants to replace of these slaves. Each legion was divided into groups of eight hundred men known as cohorts. Every legion was made up of six cohorts, with the first cohort having one-thousand and six hundred men in it. This meant that there were roughly five-thousand and six hundred men in each legion. Each cohort had eight centuries within it. These centuries were commanded by the centurion and were composed of eighty legionaries and twenty servants or healers and those of other trades. Each century was further divided into squads of ten controlled by each decanus. These groups of ten men had eight legionaries and two servants. There were also two sets of three hundred horse men. These two groups were divided into ten groups of thirty, commanded by a decurion and his two deputies. Auxiliary Legions Navy Special Forces Provinces and Cities Esidon Western Esidon *''Mithraleen'' **''Crusada'' **''Drooding'' **''Dwide'' **''Khâzadûru'' **''Carthinhex'' **''Carthiad'' **''Byli-Galad'' **''Lyordasar'' *''Mithraleeth'' **''Braeburn'' **''Vettach'' **''Tiberius'' **''Mordach'' **''Broumar'' **''Strabo'' *''Fjorr'' **''Ajjergoff'' **''Fjerk'' **''Esgaragoth'' **''Bjorf'' **''Stout'' *''Miraleen'' **''Albion'' **''Broaden'' **''Welcome'' *''Arctictas'' **''Hroxus'' **''Naros'' **''Brutarios'' **''Kvat'' Eastern Esidon Afrik Mesicarid Other Category:Empires Category:Kingdoms Category:Civilisations Category:Cultures